FRIENDS
by eola-48
Summary: A compilation of short stories/ drabbles situating around the friendship of Sirius Black and James Potter. Non- related starting in their first year, till the end, will most likely be in chronological order.


**Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling (as you'll notice from my writing), and thus do not own any of these characters, or the quotes (which I'm sure you'll recognise) taken directly out of the book itself. I also do not own the TV show 'FRIENDS', but just used the name as more of a backdrop then anthying.**

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Worth it

Sirius Black shifted nervously, biting his bottom lip and staring up at the clear, starry, sky mirage above. In years to come he would often be found staring up at the Hogwarts castle 'sky', either calculating the spell behind it, working out a possible prank- such as a rain of thick green scum- or simply to soak in the endless freedom.

Tonight, his first night, he did none of that. He simply stared, wide mouthed, heart pounding against his chest, finding the clear endless abyss completely intimidating.

Sirius Black did not like feeling intimidated.

Nervously, he ran his hand through his (thanks to the none too amiable force of his mother) rather short, raven black hair as the tall, stern looking black haired witch, whose name he couldn't recall (McGonagall was it?), called the first student to the chair "Abbot Kristen"

A straw haired, lightly freckled looking girl from the front of the herd, walked slowly on quaking knees up onto the stage and sat down on the creaking old stool, as the stern Looking Witch (he should, really start calling her 'Professor McGonagall', shouldn't he?) placed the old, shaggy (yet oddly intimidating) singing hat on her head. The hat fell well over her eyes, and the whole hall sat in silence as it appeared to mole over its decision.

Sirius couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for the freckly girl, as she sat there with her legs knocking together quaveringly as if she'd been hit by the Tarantallegra curse. It must suck being the first called. He found himself wondering what house she'd be in. Slytherin? Abbot was pure blood name, but it wasn't Slytherin… Ravenclaw? Gryffindor? Hufflepuff? Smart? Brave? Loyal? He wasn't sure, he'd never really known anyone outside of Slytherin, and so had no Idea what to look for. He wasn't even sure what house he belonged in anymore…

The hat stayed silent for what felt like several minutes, then a crease broke open and a loud call reverberated through the dining hall "HUFFLEPUFF"

The hall exploded in loud applause, the clapping and whooping being led by the middle table- the Hufflepuff table. Kristen shot a very nervous, although not displeased, grin at the other first years and quickly scurried towards the Hufflepuff table behind them, almost forgetting to remove the hat in her haste.

"Looks like she's about to piss her pants, that one" Said a soft, humour full voice in his ear. Sirius glanced beside him, with a grin forming on his lips.

Beside him, James Potter (the owner of the voice) stood, quite comfortably, his head turned towards Sirius, a smirk planted firmly on his pale face and his hazel eyes shining mischievously behind his wire rimed specs. The inevitable sorting didn't seem to faze him. His shoulders hung slack, his arms held comfortably at his sides, he was completely at ease. It was this quality which had attracted Sirius to James, the comfortable, careless, energetic, sure of himself demeanour. James didn't enter a room expecting the world to fall at his feet due to his background (like most pure bloods), instead he entered looking for adventures to conquer, wanting to earn the right for people to fall at his feet. He wasn't 'royalty', he was a kid in a candy store.

Sirius let out a snort, then, remembering what his cousin Bella had said about Hufflepuff's being wusses, added "Yeah, a true hufflepuff, she is."

James Let out a large laugh, which he quickly muffled with his hand as the stern McGonagall witch gave them a dirty look. Several people turned in their direction; Beside him a rather chubby boy tittered rather shrilly; In front a sickly pale, dishevelled looking boy, was too, trying not to laugh; a little more in front, Sirius saw the Red headed freckly girl from the train role her bright apple green eyes and her, rather greasy, hooked nose git of a mate, Snivellus they had correctly deemed him, shot them a scathing look.

James, unabashed by this, shot them a pearly white smirk, coupled with a faux cheerful wave, before turning back to the front as 'Adams, Andrew' took a seat and was, almost instantly, made a Ravenclaw. As the crowd roared (somewhat louder than the Hufflepuff crowd) Sirius, roamed his eyes over the two, who had also returned to watching the sorting where 'Aubrey Betram' was called forward. The girl looked rather nervous, as she weaved her hands between each other, jumping from foot to foot, the greasy boy on the other hand, looked rather calmer, his shoulders held straight and his jaw locked, his mind obviously set on the house he wanted. Slytherin, Sirius remembered.

"_Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"_ Were the words James had said back on the train. Sirius wondered, not so vaguely, if James would remain his friend if he did follow his family and get in Slytherin (despite his confident clarification that he wouldn't). Sirius shook his head, banishing the thought. Why should it matter? He'd just met the bloke, was he really worth abandoning his whole family for? No. No way. Still… Gryffindor did sound appealing…

"_Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart…"_ On paper Gryffindor's were brave, noble and chivalrous; but when he walked in he noted that they were loud, reckless looking and energetic. Like James, like him…. They were also blood traitor scum, his father had told him…. But did he care about that?

"RAVENCLAW" The Sorting hat shouted, and Sirius turned to see the brown haired, square jawed Betram Aubrey walk swiftly towards the Cheering Ravenclaw table.

"Alex, Avery", Sirius watched as an aristocratically familiar looking blond haired bloke swaggered up towards the stage, and he immediately knew what house he would be in; Slytherin.

Sirius was proven correct moments after the hat had fallen onto the boy's rat like face (would it be that quick for him?). James gave a derisive snort as Avery swaggered confidently towards the cheering Sytherin table, muttering a "What a surprise" under his breath.

Sirius gave a low derisive chuckle, hoping James wouldn't sense its forcedness. 'Bennet, Ashley' was called to the stage and Sirius could feel his heart beat hard against his chest as an unwelcomed wave of nervousness sauntered through his body (Sirius never felt Nervous), 'Black' was coming up…

"HUFFLEPUFF" the hat called, and the middle table exploded again as the second 1st year hufflepuff was announced. This girl, a tanned, rather pretty brunette, skittered wide-eyed towards the table, like the other she seemed overly nervous and skittish. Was this a Hufflepuff trait?

In his head, Sirius counted off the houses announced: 2 Ravenclaws, 2 Hufflepuffs and 1 Slytherin, but no Gryffindor's… not yet…

"Black, Sirius"

Sirius felt his body stiffen and a murmur seemed to break out through the hall at his name and the Slytherins seemed to sit up straighter (was he imagining it?). He couldn't move. James gave him a small shove, whispering a quick "good luck" in his ear and before he knew it he was stumbling onto the stage, with the whole school gawking at him (a feat which would only excite him in oncoming years).

As he walked towards the stool he shot a quick glance at the Slytherin table quickly pointing out his three cousins: Bellatrix, Narcissa and Adromeda. When he walked in Bella had been sitting upright, looking forward determinedly, as if showing the 'proper behaviours of a black' (which she probably was); Cissy had been quietly giggling to her other Slytherin friends, showing no interest in the sorting; Andy, too, hadn't been paying attention to the sorting, but instead was staring off towards the Hufflepuff table with a detached, wistful kind of look on her pretty dark face. Now, however, all three sisters eyes were on him, family support he guessed; Bella's dark lidded eyes were boring into his, a nasty smile playing upon her dark red lips, almost willing him to dare get into another house; Cissy gave him a polite wave and a small bored smile, neither worried nor caring what house he was going to get in; Andy gave him a friendly encouraging smile and a wink, which made Sirius feel slightly better, but at the same time cause a clench in his gut. What if he didn't get in Slytherin?

He shook his head, he didn't care, he reminded himself. He was Sirius Black, he didn't care what people thought. His family, friends, Andy, James, he didn't care. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. Gryffindor, Slytherin, he didn't care. He didn't.  
Still, as he sat on the stool, and looked out at the other first years, he determinedly avoided James Potters gaze.

Then the world went black, and before he could think anything, or decide what he wanted he heard a low, calm, sneering, but not cruel voice in his head.

_Hmmm, let's see here…. Smart? Definitely, but not Academic, hmm… loyal oh yes, completely, but to who?...quite clever I see, energetic, crafty, curious with quite a thirst for adventure… Brave too and I see talent, oh yes quite a lot of that… and a Black? Oh yes, I know where you SHOULD go…_

Sirius wanted to think something, anything. Protest? Agree? He wasn't sure, but nothing came. He just sat, staring into the dark encompassing abyss, but this time without the stars to feel the void. The hat continued its monologue:

_But, no. That's not where you belong, definitely not… you belong in GRYFFINDOR_

The last part was shouted out loud, and Sirius felt the hat lifted off his head, his eyes stinging at the sudden flash of light.

In years to come, Sirius could not remember the hall being so quiet at a sorting. The Slytherins, even the half-bloods, were shooting looks of daggers (although he didn't dare look in his cousins direction); The Gyrffindors (lead by the purebloods) were speechless, mouths gaping, unsure how to react; The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, looked around bemused, confused by the houses reactions. No one said anything, not student, not teacher, even the ghost were quiet, hovering there silently. Looking more like imprints than ever

Sirius wasn't sure how long he stood there, it felt like years, most likely only a couple seconds; the hall seemed stuck in a time warp. A time warp which was shattered as a singular pair of clapping and whooping reverberated around the hall. Sirius searched the crowd for the source of the noise, locating a shock of messy hair in the midst of the black crowd of 1st years.

James potter stood clapping, whooping, a large grin plastered on his face, completely oblivious (or maybe just uncaring) to the shock of the hall.

Just as if someone had lit a heating charm the tension of the hall began to melt and noise began to erupt again. The Gryffindor's started clapping, first sporadically, then all together (Sirius noticed how much louder they were then the other houses); then the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs began their polite applause; the Slytherins remained starkly quiet.

Sirius felt the tension leave his body, and walked, more confidently to the far right, to the Gryffindors table, walking in a perfect impersonation of his later 'swagger': Footsteps slow and purposeful, shoulders held loose and comfortable, head held high and confident. As he passed the first years he caught James potters eyes, giving him what he thought was a self-satisfied smirk, and a wink, which James retuned with an even larger grin and two thumbs up.

And so Sirius took his place at the Gryffindor table- the opposite end of the half from where his cousins, his family, sat-Next to a tall brown haired, blue eyed bloke wearing a shiny silver prefects badge (Frank Longbottom he would later discover), feeling past from his new housemates, his new family, firmly on his back.

As he sat watching 'Connor, Crowley' join Slytherin, waiting for James to join him (there was no doubt in his mind that the messy haired fellow would join Gryffindor), he thought; as he would think again that night when James proclaimed rather loudly to Frank Longbottom and his mates, that he didn't care a flying Merlin's buttocks if Sirius was a Black, he was still a Gryffindor; as he would again think throughout that year as James stood by him through all encounters with Bellatrix; as he would think frequently throughout their friendship, most prominently when disowned from his family, when in the middle of a fight and a blizzard, James would let him into his house with open arms and no questions asked; That James Potter might just be worth it after all.

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** Authors Note: ** Okay, So this wasn't completely Sirius, James, fic, but more of a Sirius reflective fic, the others will be a little more both of them focused. Also,this is kinda long, longer than meant it to be, but I do tend to over write sometimes (and under write other areas), but in my defense both JR Tolkein and Stephen King are known for over writing too, not that I'm comparing myself in anyway to the because they're much, much better writers, I'm just saying they do it too. Anyway, tell me what you think, compliment, criticism (constructive) I don't mind.  
And if you do like it I promise the other drabbles, or short stories, won't be this long, and probably (most of them) more exciting and less reflective. Also, I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors.


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